Shameless (The Therapist #2), стр. 28
“I see. That’s interesting, actually. My best friend’s husband works on the base, and he’s an engineer, too. Do you know Daniel Backer?”
“I do, actually,” Eric chirps, with a strange little chuckle. “Mr. Backer is a good guy. That’s so cool. Small world.”
“Yeah it is,” I agree with a smile. “So, do you enjoy being in the military?”
“I do, very much. It was always my dream to serve my country, and it’s the most important thing in the world to me. It’s really all I care about. I’m a Captain, so that means I can become a General if I put my mind to it. It’s going to take tons of work and time, and I’d probably have to switch career fields to do it, but that’s my goal. I want to be a General. That’d be the bee’s knees.”
The frown I feel sweeping across my face is impossible to stop. Did he just say something would be the bee’s knees?
“How about you? What do you do?” Eric asks, and I have to shake off the annoyance still lingering from the bee’s knees.
“I work at Milton Animal Clinic in Milford,” I reply. “My father owns it, actually.”
“Oh, that’s cool. So, do you want to start your own career at some point, or are you okay with just being a dog groomer?”
I frown again. “Umm, I never said I was a dog groomer. I have a degree in accounting. I handle my father’s business finances.”
“Oh, okay. Whew. I thought you were just a groomer. I was like, ‘Eww, gross.’ But you actually have goals. Cool.”
I stare at Eric coldly for a moment before pulling myself away and getting a sip of water.
On this quest of trying to find out what I like and what I don’t, Eric has already given me a few dislikes. I don’t like when guys make assumptions about me, my job, or my career aspirations. It’s cool that Eric has a career in the military, but that doesn’t mean I have to have a career in the military, or a career at all for that matter. However, I do like that Eric is driven, and I like that he’s in great shape. The military’s rigorous physical training locked that attribute down for him. He’s skinny, but shredded, and who doesn't like shredded?
After a rough start to the evening, things between Eric and I pick up a bit. We have a decent conversation to go along with pretty good food from Michele’s, and now that we’re not talking about work or my “career”, Eric isn’t such a bad guy. That works out well for me, because unknown to Eric, I intend to use him tonight. Getting to know him, and learning about his job is all well and good, but the real reason I took this date was to learn.
Since my last session with Dr. Colson, I’ve been doing a little learning about myself. I’m talking about masturbation. To be honest, I hadn’t really done it much before. I guess I always had a guy around to help out with that. Although, I did have to do it a few times to finish myself off after Brandon wasn’t able to.
Now, I’ve been doing it for two reasons: because I want to, and because I’ve been curious about the type of visual stimulation I enjoy. It didn’t take me long to learn that I enjoy porn where a man is strong and dominant, maybe even choking the woman a little bit. I like to see big cocks, especially when their owners are giving them a serious stroking. My god, what is it about a man stroking his cock that is so deliciously good to watch? I’ve had a few orgasms to that alone, but I’ve even also dabbled in gay porn. Two men fucking each other’s brains out seems to send me right over the edge as well. Apparently, I like a whole plethora of things, and if Eric isn’t up to what I have planned for him tonight, I’ll have no problem going home and finding something muscular and steamy to watch.
After all the porn and therapy, I’m ready to move into the next phase of my post-give-a-shit life. I’m ready for the part where I become the “whore” my mother will certainly think me to be. All I know is that I’m not settling anymore, no matter how many names I’m called. I’m finding new standards to hold men to, and if they don’t meet them, they’ll be brushed off my shoulder like flakes of dust. I already know Eric isn’t the type of man I’d want to be with—although my mother would push for me to marry a man with a solid career—but maybe Eric can teach me something else. There’s only one way to find out.
“So, that’s when I realized that I hate my father,” Eric says, finishing up a story I didn’t know I was ignoring until now.
I take a moment to knock back the rest of the red wine I ordered to go along with my meal, before looking up at Eric and hoping for the best.
“So, you got any plans after this?” I ask, and I can see the excitement grow in Eric’s face. He lifts an eyebrow, curious about where this might be going.
“No, umm, I didn’t have anything planned. You?”
“Not much,” I answer, then I swallow my pride like the wine I just gulped. “So, you wanna go back to my place?”
Chapter Twenty
~ Tessa ~
After having Eric follow me to my apartment, the two of us make it inside. He accompanies me through the front door blanketed by nerves that show themselves in the form of anxious glances around the living room. Before he manages to look at me, his face is shrouded in angst. I can